After honoring former star Dwyane Wade with a celebration that included a halftime tribute, Marquette surged and improved to 13-0 at home.

Down 33-25 at the break, the Golden Eagles (16-3, 5-1 Big East) quickly tied it. Howard had a three-point play and capped a 13-5 run with a free throw that made it 38-all with 14:18 left. He gave Marquette its first lead since the opening bucket at 40-39 with a pair of free throws a minute later.

The lead then changed seven times before Marquette's Sacar Anim hit a 3-pointer that began a 10-2 run. The Friars (11-7, 1-4) twice pulled within two points, but Hauser and brother Joey Hauser combined for 12 points to keep Marquette ahead.

Sam Hauser scored 20 points in the second half.

Nate Watson tied his career-high with 21 points for Providence and Alpha Diallo had 16.

Providence came in having won three of the last four meetings, including the last two at the Bradley Center. This was their first matchup at the new Fiserv Forum.

Howard was back in the lineup after exiting Marquette's road win at Georgetown on Tuesday with lower back tightness. The Big East's leading scorer (24.4) logged just three minutes before he came out of that game.

Marquette is known for its defense at home, but Providence turned up the pressure. The Friars hounded and slapped at each Golden Eagles' possession, allowing just seven baskets on 25 attempts (28 percent), including 5 of 14 from 3-point range. Howard had 10 points and Sam Hauser had five, but no other Marquette starter scored in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Providence: Providence outscored Marquette 18-4 in the paint and 10-0 on second-chance points in the first half.

Marquette: Junior forward Ed Morrow, who missed the game against Georgetown with an ankle injury, was back in the lineup.